Teens June 19, 2017 ISSUE

Into—and out of—the woods

Emma Schaefer

It was a week before my high school’s performance of Into the Woods. There was a lot of talk among my fellow cast members about how people usually get run down and sick before performances. I didn’t want to let this frighten me, but I was a bit worried. I was playing Cinderella, and we were not double casted, which meant there were no backup actors in the event that someone was unable to perform. Even though I wasn’t sick, the thought and pressure of “I can’t get sick right now” loomed over me like a dark cloud.

Then, four nights before the first performance, I woke up in the middle of the night and felt my throat scrape as I swallowed. Although it was difficult, I quickly shut out the thought of “What’s gonna happen if I can’t perform?” Instead of worrying, I thought about what I’d learned in the Christian Science Sunday School.

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